Glad I didn't bet on Norris to take pole.
Before the start of qualifying, I had considered placing a bet on Lando Norris to take pole during the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP, it would have been the first bet I would have ever made, and boy am I glad I didn't.
This is the moment that cost Lando Norris a chance at pole position tonight 😮🔽#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/QvzYSUYrha
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2025
Norris will now start from P10, and will need to have a monstrous drive to climb back up to the podium. I don't see him being able to win from his starting position, but it is certainly possible. Personally, I though he did perform really well during the practice sessions and up until his crash in Q3, so I was a little shocked when he hit the wall and brought out the red flags.
It was an unfortunate finish to qualifying for Lando, but Oscar is still the favorite to win going into the race. Currently on FanDuel, if you place a $100 bet on Piastri to win, you could potentially win $110 if he pulls it off. I'm not an expert so im not really sure how the odds work, although that does seem to be the safest option. I'd only bet $1, but that would see a potential profit of $1.10.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen set a new fast lap record at the high speed Jeddah Corniche circuit as he took pole position from Oscar Piastri on the final lap of Q3 by just 0.001 second. I had a sneaky suspicion that he would throw together an absolute banger of a lap and man did he deliver.
Verstappen's uncanny ability to outdrive and out strategize his opponents leads him to be my favorite to win the race tomorrow. He definitely has the experience and consistency that it will take to win, mixed with his aggressive driving style and tenacious defense, we will stop at nothing to stay in the lead. Currently, you could potentially profit $135 on a $100 bet if he wins, which isn't bad. I'd only be betting $1 at the max, which is a potential of $1.35 profit. Not the best, but better than $1.10.
Other than that, I believe that George Russell will get a podium finish, Lando Norris will get a Top 6 finish, and Pierre Gasly will finish in the points. If I were going to place these bets, the odds of Russell finishing on the podium are 1.95, meaning you would profit $0.95 for every $1 you bet. The odds of Norris finishing in the top 6 are 1.15, meaning you would only profit $0.15 on every $1 bet, while the odds of Gasly finishing in the points are 1.34, meaning you could take home $0.34 for every $1 wagered.
One of the most guaranteed bets I think that there are for this race is the "Safety Car" line, where you're just betting whether or not there will be a safety car during the race (not including virtual safety cars). This one has a decent return of $0.15 for every $1 bet, and with the amount of incidents we have seen throughout practice and qualifying, I almost guarantee we will see at least one safety car before the night is over.
Here are the bets I placed for this race, totaling $8. I am not a betting person, but I thought it would a little bit of fun so why not? I wouldn't have bet $5 on the Safety Car line if it wasn't for the promo going on. If your first $5 bet wins then you receive an extra $250 in free bets, so that would be cool. Knowing my luck tho, I'll probably lose all these bets, but I guess we'll see what happens! Anyways, that will do it for this one, and I'll see you after the race for an update!